THR.
But after several actors, including Samuel L. Jackson and Laurence
Fishburne, passed on the film’s male lead, Searchlight decided to
postpone the start date … perhaps indefinitely.

The odd part is that THR says Lemmons (who worked with Jackson in the
past) already has two bankable, Oscar-winning talents in Angela Bassett
and Jennifer Hudson attached to key roles. The film, which adapts
Langston Hughes’ play, leans on traditional Christmas carols sung in a
Gospel style. And because of that, the male lead has to be able to carry
a tune, which cuts the potential talent pool in half. THR, however,
lists a number of talented African-American performers who fit that
bill, including Jamie Foxx. Shouldn’t Searchlight be able to find
someone who can hold their own against Bassett and Hudson in what sounds
like a winning film?

That’s probably why Searchlight reportedly is hedging its bets slightly
instead of pulling the plug altogether. “Start dates shift on every film
we’ve ever been involved with,” an insider tells THR about Black Nativity.
So there’s a very good chance it will still happen. But the October
start appears to be off the table unless a male lead is hired. Fast.
Stay tuned for details as the story develops.